Nutrient status of rain drenched soils drives 2013 fertiliser strategy
Careful soil testing and understanding of soil nutrient status will be essential if growers are to get optimum use of fertiliser applications in 2013, says Nidera’s Fertiliser Manager Richard Monck.
Following months of heavy rain, a considerable amount of nutrients will have been leached from the soil and Nitrogen index is likely to be at, or close, to zero.
“Last year was almost without precedent in terms of the damage done to soil structure and nutrient values and management moving forward must take this into account,” he says.
“If the weather remains cold and wet going into the spring then little or no mineralisation will take place so timely applications of the first dressing of Ammonium Nitrate or Urea will be essential to get crops growing.”
But it’s not just a question of establishing how much N is required, sulphur, potash and sodium along with some of the minor nutrients such as boron and manganese are also susceptible to leaching.
“Phosphate is vulnerable too, and although this does not leach it does tend to get locked up in the soil, Phosphate and Potash applications have been cut back generally in recent years and removal of straw from fields has also contributed to reduced levels.
“The bottom line is that all nutrients will need particular attention in 2013 if soil indices are to be maintained and growers shouldn’t take short cuts and assume they know what the right strategy is.”
On the Nitrogen front, Urea is always worth considering as an option to Ammonium Nitrate for restoring the considerable levels of applied Nitrogen needed in some areas and also is usually the more cost-effective option.
“We’re currently looking at cost of around 73 pence per Kilo of Nitrogen from Urea and 86 pence per kilo of Nitrogen from Ammonium Nitrate so it makes sense to use Urea.
“For those growers who are not so comfortable with using Urea for all their Nitrogen requirements a good rule of thumb would be to use Urea for the first applications and then perhaps revert to Ammonium Nitrate for the last as the weather starts to warm up and conditions, hopefully, get drier.”
But growers will only be able to make the right decision for their farms if they get soil testing done early and extensively, he says.
“In the current economic climate it’s well worth investing in your crop and the importance of applying good quality, water soluble fertiliser in a timely fashion is more important than ever this year.”
